1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, particularly, to an electrical connector that the terminal is molded together with the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of the electrical connector of this type is disclosed in JP 2001-143801.
As shown in FIG. 7, a connector 50 includes a housing 51 and terminals 52 that are molded together with the housing 51 as a unit. The terminal 52 is made by bending a metal strip in its thicknesswise direction to provide a connection section 53 and a contact section 54 indented from a peripheral portion 55 that is level with the surface of the housing 51.
A mating connector 60 includes a housing 61 and terminals 62 that are press fitted into the housing 61. These terminals 62 are made by stamping a metal sheet to provide a press-fit section 64, a connection section 65 extending to the right from a base section 63, and a flexible arm 66 extending to the left and then upward. The flexible arm 66 has a curved free end to form a contact portion 67. The terminal 62 is held by press fitting the press-fit section 64 into a retention slot 61A of the housing 61.
In use, the contact portion 67 of the mating connector 60 enters in the contact portion 54, which is intended from the peripheral portion 55, to provide stable contact.
The connector 50 is made such that the peripheral portion 55 of the terminal 52 does not come to so close contact with the mold that the molten resin enters and sticks to the contact section 54. The contact portion 54 of the above connector is made by pressing a die onto a metal sheet. It is desirable that the width of the contact portion 54 is large so that the width of a peripheral edge 55 becomes very small.
If the die is displaced to either side from the regular position, no side edge is formed on the side, resulting in a large gap between the metal mold and the terminal. Consequently, molten resin enters and adheres to the contact portion 54, leading to poor contact with the terminal of a mating connector. In addition, the lateral displacement limits the width of the contact area with the terminal of a mating connector. Consequently, the terminal of a mating connector can ride on the side edge of the contact portion, resulting in an unstable contact.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an electrical connector capable of preventing molten resin from entering the contact portion even if the die is displaced in its widthwise or thicknesswise direction and providing a stable contact with the terminal of a mating connector.
An electrical connector related to the invention includes a housing made of an insulative material; a terminal made by bending a metal strop in its thicknesswise direction and molded together with the housing for support.
According to the invention, in the above connector, a contact portion is indented in the terminal so as to provide a curved longitudinal surface that extends from its side edges to its center gradually deepened.
Since the indented contact surface is sloped from the edges to the center, the gap between the mold and the terminal is so small that the molten resin, which has a viscosity, does not enter the gap. In addition, the terminal of a mating connector is displaced slightly in the widthwise or thicknesswise direction, it is brought into contact with the sloped surface at some point without failure, thus providing a stable contact.
The indented portion may be made such that tangents to the side edges and a tangent to the bottom share a common circle having a diameter that is greater than a distance between the side edges. The larger the diameter of the common circle, the smaller the slope so that the terminal of a mating connector is stabilized. The indented portion made of an arc of the common circle in its widthwise direction to provide a smooth surface in the widthwise direction.
The indented portion has a sloped end face in its longitudinal direction. The sloped end face has a distance that increases from the side edge to the bottom center. Consequently, the terminal of a mating connector is brought into contact with the surface of a side edge first and then guided to the center surface. The the indented portion may have a stepped end face in its longitudinal direction, producing a sensation of click upon engagement with the mating terminal, thus feeding it back to the user.
According to the invention, the side edges of an indented contact portion are sloped so that even if the press die is displaced in the widthwise or thicknesswise direction of a terminal, the gap between the mold and the terminal is so small that no or little molten resin does not reach the contact portion. In addition, the mating terminal becomes stable on the sloped surface.